Frank A. Bress

Frank A. Bress

Frank A. Bress joined New York Law School in June 2002. At New York Law School he has developed and teaches a Criminal Defense Clinic, the Criminal Prosecution Clinics and Advocacy of Criminal Cases. He also teaches Trial Advocacy and serves as Director of Clinical Programs.

Earlier in his career, as associate dean for clinical education at Pace Law School, Professor Bress started the clinical education program, developed and taught a Trial Advocacy course and a Homicide Defense Clinic, and developed the Child Support Enforcement and the Appellate Litigation Clinics. As part of the Homicide Defense Clinic, Professor Bress litigated a high-profile murder case on Long Island (the “Pebbles Murder”) and achieved the first change of venue in a criminal matter in New York State after the Brinks Robbery more than five years earlier, and the last until the Amadou Diallo murder case more than twelve years later.

Before Pace, Professor Bress taught clinical and advocacy courses for twelve years at NYU Law School. While there, he served as Executive Director and Managing Attorney of Washington Square Legal Services, the umbrella under which students practiced in the areas of criminal law, juvenile justice, women’s rights, prison reform, and public benefits law.

Prior to working at NYU Law School, Professor Bress was vice president and general counsel for a public company for four years. Subsequent to his work as general counsel, Professor Bress spent ten years in private practice engaged in white-collar criminal defense, commercial and tort litigation. His firm was one of a few that defended the County of Westchester in tort cases, including federal civil rights matters.

Professor Bress has always been an advocate for high professional standards, working actively within lawyers’ associations to that end. While at New York Law School, he co-chaired the Criminal Justice section of the New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA), chaired a NYCLA Task Force on Penal Policy, and was a member of the Criminal Courts Committee of the New York City Bar Association (NYC Bar).

In the past, Professor Bress chaired the Central Screening Committee for the Appellate Division, First Department for five years and was a member for another seven years. During his tenure, the Central Screening Committee established one of the first attorney peer review and disciplinary systems in New York. He also served as secretary for the prestigious Council on Criminal Justice, which coordinates the activities of all NYC Bar committees involved in criminal justice issues.

New York University Criminal Law Clinic Course Materials. (Written, complied, and edited with Professors Harry I. Subin, Chester L. Mirsky, and Vanessa H. Merton) Limited publication for New York University Law School students, 1976–84.

NYU Live—Lawyering Skills Interactive Videodisc—Computer Exercises on Hearsay and Opinion Evidence. (Written and produced with Professor Tim Hallihan of Harvard Law School.) Published by New York University.

Contact Information:

T: 212.431.2389 E: frank.bress@nyls.eduF: 212.966.2053O: E811

Faculty Assistant:

Sharde GoodloeE: sgoodloe@nyls.edu

Education:

New York University, B.A. 1969
St. John's University, J.D. 1972

Expert in white-collar criminal defense and commercial and tort litigation. Taught clinical and advocacy law courses for 23 years, 12 years at NYU Law School, 2 years at Pace Law School, and 9 years at New York Law School. Advocate for high professional standards.